Planning to throw a big blowout with all of your university friends? Well, you’ll obviously need some awesome games to make the night even more fun! If you’re not sure what sort of games to play, that’s where I come in. Trust me; I’ve organized hundreds of bar crawls during my time as a bar crawl guide, so I know what games will be an absolute blast at a college party.

Through trial and error of nearly 100 drinking games over the years, here are the 20+ best college party games you should absolutely play for the best night ever!

1. BEER PONG

No college party game list is complete without a mention of Beer Pong. This drinking game is a staple at any party for a reason. It’s easy to set up, easy to play, and, of course, super fun! All you need to play this drinking game is a long table, 22 solo cups, and 2+ ping pong balls. While you only technically need 2 balls, I always recommend bringing extra because you are guaranteed to lose at least one ball throughout the course of the game.

HOW TO PLAY

To play, just divide 4 people into teams of two, and take turns trying to throw ping pong balls into the other team’s cups. If you’ve never played Beer Pong before, have no fear. We’ve written down the rules for Beer Pong right here!

2. FLIP CUP

Another classic college party game is Flip Cup, a fun game that only utilizes a bunch of solo cups or plastic cups of your choice. This game is likely to get everyone playing pretty buzzed by the end of it, so it makes for a great game for the beginning of the night rather than the end. If you play when everyone’s already pretty drunk already, get ready for some majorly sticky floors!

HOW TO PLAY

To play Flip Cup, everyone should divide into two teams and stand around a table. Remember: this game is a relay! Then, on the mark, the two first players of each team must down their drink and then flip their cups. Once they successfully flip, the next players must do the same. The first team to successfully drink and flip their cups wins!

3. SLAP CUP

Looking for a super fun, competitive drinking game that is sure to get you tipsy? You should try Slap Cup! This is the perfect game for a college party if you don’t mind dealing with the clean-up afterward.

HOW TO PLAY

To play Slap Cup, fill all but two of the solo cups ⅓ of the way with beer. Then, two players must try to bounce a ping pong ball into one of these cups. If they manage, they can pass the cup to the next person. But if a ball lands in one of the middle cups, they must drink the contents before they can continue!

As for the slapping, this occurs when a player and the player to their left are both trying to bounce a ball into their cups. If the first player manages to bounce a ball before the second player, they slap their cup away! I know this game sounds a bit confusing, but you should read our full Slap Cup rules so you can play this game with your friends!

4. CHANDELIER

One of my favorite drinking games is Chandelier. This game takes some of the rules from other famous drinking games like Beer Pong and Flip Cup. It is super fast-paced and sure to get the floor dirty, so make sure you don’t play it on carpet!

HOW TO PLAY

To set this game up, set up one cup per player (with some beer inside) and place them in a circle in the middle of the table. In the middle of this circle should be an extra solo cup placed on top of another solo cup or bowl. Fill this cup with beer or another drink of your choice.

Then, to play, players frantically bounce ping pong balls with the aim of getting them into other players’ cups. If a ball lands in your cup, drink it and refill the contents. But if a ball lands in the middle cup, everyone must finish their drink and then race to flip their cups. The last person to flip their cup must drink the middle cup!

5. QUARTERS

Another classic drinking game you should definitely play at a college party is Quarters. The great thing about this game is that you don’t really need anything to set it up since all you need are some solo cups (and which college party doesn’t have plastic cups?) and a single coin (ideally a quarter) someone will inevitably find in their pockets.

HOW TO PLAY

The very core of the game is basic. Everyone has their own cup filled with alcohol, and there must be a cup in the center of the table, either filled with alcohol as well or empty for a less messy game. Then, a player takes the quarter and tries to bounce it into the middle cup. If they make it, they assign a drink to another player and bounce the quarter again until they miss. Once they miss, it’s the next player’s turn to do the same.

There are many variations and nuances to this super fun drinking game, so check out our full article on the rules for Quarters.

6. RING OF FIRE/KING’S CUP

It doesn’t matter whether you know this game as Ring of Fire or King’s Cup, there’s no denying that this is one of the most popular drinking games out there! This is also one of the best drinking card games, in my opinion, as it combines a bunch of other super fun drinking games that will not only get you drunk but also make you closer to your college friends.

HOW TO PLAY

To play, put a cup in the middle of the table and create a ring of cards around it, making sure they’re all face-down. Then, players take turns removing one card from the ring, making sure not to break the circle. If you break the circle, you’ve got to finish your drink or take a shot! Depending on what card you remove from the circle, there’ll be a rule associated with it, as the image above. If you want more clarification of the rules, head over to our page on the official rules of Ring of Fire.

7. DRUNK JENGA

Jenga Giant – Stacks to Over 5 feet – Officially…

• Complete Giant Tumble Tower Set: Enjoy 54 precision crafted premium hardwood…
• Original Giant Jenga Game: For 10+ years, this officially licensed company has…
• Event Game: Whether you’re with friends, at a party, at work, at the bar, in…

I mean, who doesn’t love a good game of Jenga? But take it up a notch and turn Jenga into a super fun drinking game by playing Drunk Jenga! This game brings up the stakes of the game so much higher, so try not to topple the tower!

HOW TO PLAY

Before you begin to play, grab a Sharpie or two and start writing rules on the Jenga blocks. Rules can range from “take a drink” and “kiss someone” to “choose someone to take a shot” and “play Never Have I Ever.”

Once that’s done, set up the game as usual and play Jenga as normal. However, unlike standard Jenga in Drunk Jenga, whenever someone removes a block, they must read out the rule written on the block and complete it. And whoever knocks down the tower must finish their drink and set up the tower again!

8. CIVIL WAR BEER PONG

Are you getting sick of standard Beer Pong? Or maybe you’re up for a bit of a challenge and chaos? In that case, you absolutely have to play Civil War Beer Pong! This fast-paced Beer Olympics game requires 36 solo cups, 4 ping pong balls, 2-3 tables, and, of course, a lot of beer. When you’ve gathered all the materials needed, get ready to have a ton of fun! 

HOW TO PLAY

Place 3 6-cup triangles on each side of the table and put all 4 ping pong balls in the middle. Then, chaos ensues! There are no turns in Civil War Beer Pong. If you have possession of a ping pong ball, throw it into an opponent’s cup to sink it just like normal Beer Pong. The game continues until all 18 of a team’s cups are sunk!

9. THUNDERSTRUCK

If you love to play music when drinking at a college party, Thunderstuck is the game for you! Plus, this game is super simple and really easy to set up. You don’t need anything in terms of materials – just a drink per person – but everyone should have one in their hands already anyway!

HOW TO PLAY

To play, everyone should sit or stand in a circle. Then, simply grab hold of the party playlist, and turn on “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. At the first “thunder” in the lyrics of the song, the first person drinks. And they don’t stop drinking until they hear the next “thunder” in the song. At this point, the second person starts drinking. Keep going around in the circle in this manner!

The best thing about this song is that while you’ll hear the words “thunder” often enough, every now and then, someone might be stuck drinking for a super long time. That happened to me once, and I ended up drinking one and a half beers in one go!

10. NEVER HAVE I EVER

Of course, one of the most common games you’ll see at a college party is Never Have I Ever. This is a simple game that doesn’t require any setup. And best of all, you’ll get to know all your friends’ dirty secrets at the party! This is one way to get to know everyone super quickly, making it one of the best ice breaker drinking games.

HOW TO PLAY

Everyone starts with 5 or 10 fingers up, depending on how long you want the game to be. Then, players take turns stating something they’ve never done. Every other player must put a finger down IF they HAVE done the thing the player hasn’t done. Every player who puts a finger down must take a drink as well. If no one puts a finger down, the player who made the statement must take a drink.

Keep going around in a circle, with every player stating one thing they have never done. When someone runs out of fingers, they are eliminated from the game!

If you want some ideas on what to say and want to know the rules in more detail, check out our full article on how to play Never Have I Ever.

11. SOTALLY TOBER

Laoniu Hilarious Party Gaming Sotally Tober Theme…

• Diverse Card Types: Enjoy a variety of card types with unique descriptions that…
• Simple & Fun Gameplay: Experience an entertaining party game with easy-to-follow…
• High-Quality Cards: Enjoy a seamless gaming experience with the premium-quality…

Honestly, I think Sotally Tober is one of the most hilarious drinking game names I’ve come across in a while. And it’s super fitting, too, since this game will sotally get you drunk! While you will need to buy the actual Sotally Tober cards to play this game, in my opinion, it’s one of those drinking card games that is worth having around in your home, as you never know when you’ll host a wild party!

HOW TO PLAY

Setting up is easy: just shuffle the cards and place them all face-down in the middle. Then, players simply take turns drawing one card from the pile. The player that draws the card must complete the task. But if they don’t want to do it, they must take a drink.

Looking for other games like this? Check out our list of the funniest card games!

12. A+B

One of the most scandalous drinking games you can play as a group at any party is A+B or A Plus B. The concept of this game is simple, but you will end up in some outlandish scenarios throughout the course of the game – guaranteed! Only play A+B if you think you can handle it; it can get pretty risque pretty fast, especially as the group only gets drunker and drunker.

HOW TO PLAY

Everyone sits or stands in a circle, then pick one person to start. This player must close their eyes. The person to their right must pick a random person in the circle to be Person A, loudly announcing that they have chosen Person A. The person to the first player’s left must do the same but choose a Person B. Person A and Person B can be anybody in the group, including the first player.

The first player then opens their eyes and decides what Person A does to Person B, what Person B does to Person A, or what Person A and Person B do together.

After the two people complete their task, continue playing to the left.

13. BEERIO CART

Who doesn’t love some good old video games when at a party? Sometimes, it’s good to have a little bit of downtime, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn this into a fun drinking game! To play Beerio Kart, you’re going to need some kind of Nintendo console with Mario Kart downloaded, as well as a whole lot of beer (or another alcohol of your choice).

HOW TO PLAY

Ready to play? Crack open a beer, choose your kart and character, and get racing! While you play Mario Kart as normal, you have the added challenge of having to finish your beer before you cross the finish line as well! You can either chug the beer before you even start driving, chug it before you cross the finish line, or slowly drink it throughout the duration of the race – up to you!

14. RIDE THE BUS

One of my favorite card games to play in any drinking setting is Ride the Bus. This drinking card game may be a bit more complicated, but it’s definitely worth getting to know, as everyone will get pretty drunk pretty fast. Plus, only one person needs to know the rules, so don’t worry about trying to get some tipsy people to learn a new game.

HOW TO PLAY

Ride the Bus consists of 6 different rounds, as follows:

1. Red or black: The dealer must hold a deck of cards face-down and ask each player, one by one, whether they think the card is red or black. If right, the player can pick someone to drink. If wrong, that player must take a drink. Leave the card in front of that player.
2. Higher or lower: Same as above, but the dealer asks whether the player thinks the next card is higher or lower in value than the previous card.
3. Between or outside: Same as above, but the dealer asks whether the player thinks the next card is between or outside the value of the two previous cards.
4. Suit: The player must guess the suit.
5. Pyramid: Players take their four cards and must match the cards to a pyramid, and they can give out drinks according to the value.
6. Ride the bus: The losing player must ride the bus by completing rounds 1 to 4 once again. But if they get an answer wrong, they must drink and start from round 1 again.

I know these rules may be confusing, but you can head on over to our Ride the Bus rules so you can actually learn how to play!

15. TRUTH OR DARE

To offset the complicated game above, a simple drinking game you can play at the party is none other than Truth or Dare. There’s not too much complicated about this game (besides the questions and dares themselves, of course). Plus, it requires zero setup, so you can easily play this whenever you want.

HOW TO PLAY

To play, simply ask each player, “Truth or Dare.” The player can choose between the two. If they choose truth, they must answer a question. And if they choose dare, they must perform a dare. The group decides what they want the player to answer or do. If the player refuses, they must take a shot!

16. CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY

Cards Against Humanity

• A party game for horrible people.
• Comes with 500 white cards and 100 black cards for eternal replayability.
• Includes a booklet of sensible game rules and preposterous alternate rules.

Of course, a classic party game that I have to mention is Cards Against Humanity. This party card game is sure to get a lot of laughs out of everyone. And the best part is that there is really no limit to how many people can play this game. In fact, the more players, the merrier when it comes to Cards Against Humanity!

HOW TO PLAY

The game is simple. Players have 10 white cards in their hands to start, and they take turns being the Card Czar and drawing a black card to read it out loud. All other players besides the Card Czar pick a white card from their hand that best fits the black card and place it face down in the middle. The Card Czar then shuffles all the white cards and reads them all out loud. They pick their favorite response. The person who selected that card wins a point for that round!

Looking for some similar games? Check out my post on games like Cards Against Humanity.

17. TWISTER ULTIMATE

Who would have thought that playing a traditional children’s game could be so fun in a college party setting? Bring out this childhood favorite at any house party, and you’ll see just how wild people get as they line up to play this game. Adding booze to the mix makes Twister twice as fun, as people fall on their faces left and right. If you want to involve more people in the game, you can appoint one player to read out the Twister spinner.

HOW TO PLAY

To play, get spinning! Whatever the spinner lands on, all players must place a part of their body on the chosen colored circle. Continue to place your hands and feet all over the Twister mat until you are the last one standing!

18. FEAR PONG

Fear Pong: Refreshed Edition – Unleash Your Wild…

• EMBRACE THE MADNESS: Break free from the shackles of regular card games. Fear…
• WHAT’S INCLUDED: 215 outrageous dares on 108 waterproof cards + 12 blank cards…
• HOW TO PLAY: Set up a game of beer pong. Place one dare under each cup. Now face…

If you’re getting tired of playing standard Beer Pong, you should try Fear Pong to add another layer of fun! It’s a blast to play, so everyone will want to join in on the fun. Fear Pong combines traditional Beer Pong and card games in order to create a drinking game that is sure to keep everyone on their toes.

HOW TO PLAY

Play Fear Pong as you would play Beer Pong. But simply add a Fear Pong dare under each cup that you set up. Then, any time an opponent sinks one of your cups, hold your breath, as you’ll need to either drink the contents of the cup or complete a dare in order to keep it. The dares are pretty horrible, so keeping the cup is a lot harder than you think!

19. HORSERACE

Do you want to add a layer of gambling to the party? Horserace is the perfect drinking card game that you’ll love if you love games like Ride the Bus. For this game, you’ll need a standard deck of cards and some alcohol, of course. Once you’ve set that up, get ready to start betting on the horse race!

HOW TO PLAY

In this game, you’ll need an announcer or dealer. The dealer places 4 Aces face up on one end of the table and 8 cards face down perpendicular to the Aces. Now, everyone bets on which horse (or Ace) they think will win! Bets are quantified by number of drinks. You’ll need to drink half your bet before the race begins!

The announcer flips over cards, with the horses moving whenever it’s that suit that is flipped over. The first horse to reach the finish line wins! Horserace is not the easiest drinking card game out there, so check out the official Horserace rules here!

20. LIAR’S DICE

Brybelly Liar’s Dice Game Set – Classic Family…

• Roll The Bones: Roll the bones and bluff your way to victory with this complete…
• Plunder The High Seas: Squeeze in a game with your best mateys. Throw the dice…
• Here Be Treasure: Plot a course with the included 12.25″ x 8.75″ neoprene mat,…

If you’re a big fan of gambling games like Texas Hold’Em, you’ll love Liar’s Dice, a super fun gambling drinking game. A game involving strategy and deception, you’re going to have to really think in order to succeed in this game. But since you’ll be drinking as you play, there’ll certainly be a layer of hilarity that will make this college party an absolute success!

HOW TO PLAY

In this game, every player should have 5 dice and a cup each. At the beginning of the game, each player rolls their dice and keeps them hidden inside their cup so that only they know what their dice show. Players then make bets made up of the quantity of dice and the face value of the dice. Subsequent players can call a bluff or increase the bid.

If a player calls a bluff and the challenged bet is equal to or greater than what was challenged, the player that called a bluff must take 3 drinks and lose a dice. If the bluff was correct, the player that made the bet mus take 3 drinks and lose a dice.

Continue playing until only one player has any dice left.

21. MUSICAL CHAIRS DRINKING GAME

Another childhood game favorite that you can easily turn into a drinking game is Musical Chairs Drinking Game. I know it’s probably been a while since you’ve played any version of Musical Chairs, but worry not, as this game is super easy to play – even when you’re already drunk. But do drink responsibly, as this game does involve taking shots!

HOW TO PLAY

Set up chairs in a circle, and ensure there is one less chair than there are players. Then, start the music as players go round and round in a circle around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone must take a seat on a chair! The person left standing must leave the game, take a chair with them, and then take a shot as punishment. Continue playing until there are 0 chairs and only 1 player remaining. This player is the winner!

I am a passionate writer who enjoys inspiring others to play games and have fun. I ran a pub crawl for 3 years, running drinking games almost daily with my guests. I also come from a huge game-loving family, so you could say games are in my nature.

I am also a huge fan of travel and music and have started personal blogs about travel and music.

College basketball hit the halfway point of its regular season this week, meaning there are still lots of games to go—not to mention tournament play, as teams bid to reach March Madness and ultimately the Final Four. But if sportsbook odds are any indication, the national Player of the Year race has already become a foregone conclusion.

2023-24 Wooden Awards Odds

Purdue center Zach Edey, bidding to become the first back-to-back recipient of the John R. Wooden Award since Ralph Sampson in the early 1980s, is now such a favorite that he’s become a negative moneyline play at most sportsbooks. Odds of Edey repeating as Wooden Award winner are now around -300, which means a sports bettor would have to wager $300 to earn $100 in winnings should Edey claim the honor for a second consecutive year.

Edey, who entered this week averaging 22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, has gradually tightened his grip on the Player of the Year award as the season has gone on. The Purdue big man opened at odds of around +155. After leading the Boilermakers to the title in the toughest Maui Invitational field ever, those odds moved to +130. Now they’re in negative territory, well ahead of those of No. 2 odds choice Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, who can be found at +600 to +1000, depending on the sportsbook.

Even though the top-ranked Boilermakers suffered their second loss of the season Tuesday night at Nebraska, Edey has scored in double-figures every game this season and has posted nine double-doubles, tied for sixth nationally. He ranks eighth nationally in scoring, 11th nationally in rebounding, and 15th nationally in field goal percentage. While he was held to just two points in the first half against the Cornhuskers, he hasn’t really had a bad game.

And the winning has certainly helped Edey cement himself as Player of the Year odds frontrunner. Now, could that change? Purdue has tough road games at Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio State coming up in the back half of its Big 10 schedule. It would likely take some upset losses, and some of those opponents shutting Edey down—which to this point, hasn’t really happened—for the likes of Dickinson or Duke center Kyle Filipowski to close what’s currently a sizable gap.

The Favorite: Zach Edey, Purdue

Edey has played at a consistently high level against a schedule that to this point ranks as the second-toughest in the nation, according to the analytical site KenPom.com. But conference play is a different animal—opponents are more familiar, and games are more physical—and that contrast has perhaps been evident in Edey, who had totaled 10 points and 15 boards, and then 15 points and seven boards in back-to-back Big 10 games through Tuesday. 

Those are very good numbers, to be certain, but not quite the 28 and 15 he was putting up with regularity back in November and December. The conference grind takes a toll on everybody, and Edey’s hold on Player of the Year frontrunner odds may hinge on whether he can maintain a form that produced double-doubles in 11 of his final 14 games last season.

The Challenger

Who might challenge Edey in becoming this year’s college basketball player of the year?

Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Kansas has one of the worst cover rates of any team in the Top 25, continuing to win games that are closer than they should be. But that’s not the fault of Dickinson, a Michigan transfer who’s thrived in Bill Self’s offense, where he’s surrounded by great supportive players who can take the pressure off the big man in the middle. Dickinson hit for 30 points and 11 boards in a close win last weekend over TCU, emblematic of the type of contribution he’s making night in and night out.

Dickinson entered the week with averages of 19.4 points and 12.4 rebounds, and double-doubles in seven of his last nine games. He plays well in transition, shoots well from the outside, and can be unstoppable when he gets the ball down low. Dickinson plays in a deeper league than Edeydoes, and has more marquee games against ranked opponents still ahead of him. It will take more 30/11 nights against the likes of Baylor and Houston to make this Player of the Year race more interesting than it is now.

The Dark Horse

If you’re looking at making a big splash on the oddsboard, maybe consider this UConn Guard.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina

Guard R.J. Davis may lead North Carolina in scoring, but it’s big man Bacot who makes the Tar Heels go. The 6-11, 240-pound Bacot has proven an impossible matchup in the ACC, where he’s able to overpower interior defenders and get high-quality shots. In his previous two games entering the week, Bacot had not only notched double-doubles, but also shot 50 percent or better from the field. His averages—14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds—don’t accurately speak to how valuable he is.

But for Bacot to truly wedge his way into the Player of the Year conversation, he’s going to need more of the 25-point games he’s had just once so far this season. With Davis hitting for 20.6 per game, there’s not really the need for that yet in a weak ACC. But this is a thin Tar Heels roster, and UNC is winning largely behind a two-man game. The idea that Bacot could catch fire like he did at the end of the 2021-22 campaign—when his eight straight double-doubles led the Tar Heels to the national title game—isn’t out of the question.

Last 10 Best College Basketball Players Of The Year

Jalen Brunson, the player of the year from 2018, is having a standout year for the Knicks. In his first season with the Knickerbockers after signing on as a free agent, the former Villanova Wildcat is averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds and has pushed the Knicks into a playoff spot. The Knicks! 

If Brunson’s impact continues, New York could see the playoffs for just the second time in the last 10 seasons. 

How To Read Naismith And Wooden Player Of The Year Odds

If this is your first time betting on NCAA College Basketball Player of the Year odds and you aren’t sure about the difference between the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, don’t sweat it.

They’re essentially the same individual award but the voting structures are slightly different. The Wooden Award is determined before the NCAA March Madness tournament and voted on by over 1,000 sportswriters across the country, while the Naismith Award is finalized by a board of selectors along with fan voting and is announced in April.

Understanding College Basketball Player Of The Year Odds

At your college basketball sportsbook of choice, you’ll see prop odds to win College Player of the Year listed like so:

Zach Edey -150

Jalen Wilson +500

Brandon Miller +600

When there is no clear favorite due to the lack of a minus sign (-), the player with the lowest odds is the fave. In this case, though, there is a minus-money favorite in Edey. The others are considered underdogs.

If you’re loving Edey at -150 and you bet $100 on him, you’d get a payout of $166.67 – your original money is returned coupled with your winnings of $66.67. To see what you’d win based on the odds and the amount you bet, check out our odds calculator.